Attention! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “The Serene Squall”, so read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds struck fans with a big surprise in “The Serene Squall” when it was discovered that the AgencyThe new passenger, Dr. Aspen, was not what he seemed. Aspen was actually Serene Squall’s pirate Captain Angel and later turned out to be Serene Squall’s lover. Spock’s half-brother Sybok . Angel was a great addition to the season and, according to actress Jesse James Keitel, was also incredibly “refreshing” to play.
I had the opportunity to speak with Jesse James Keitel shortly after many Paramount + subscribers seen his hard work Star Trek: Strange New Worldsand the United States discussed its non-binary character . Keitel, who identifies as a trans woman, reflected on the discussions they had before playing the character and talked about her belief in her that it was time for queer characters to spread their wings:
I know there was concern that having a villain played by a trans woman who is clearly queer would send the wrong message. I understand that queer people have had a very long and complicated history with television and film, and have been heavily mistreated by the media. now let’s see [that] in law and in real life. That said, I think it’s time to let gays be mean, you know?
In “The Serene Squall”, Pike and the team recover Dr. Aspen after receiving a distress call regarding the loss of power and resources. With this setup, it is truly surprising to find that Angel and his pirates take many of the Enterprise’s crew hostage. The captain takes possession of the ship and personally holds Spock hostage, hoping that his girlfriend, T’Pring, will trade Sybok in an exchange.
It’s a dirty trick, made worse by the fact that Angel manipulated Spock’s feelings when he met them as Dr. Aspen. Jesse James Keitel loved playing the villain, noting that what he finds so refreshing about the role is that the character’s gender identity is unrelated to his antagonistic nature:
It’s not the weirdness of this character that makes him a villain. They are not bad because they are strange. It turns out they are, which I think is very refreshing compared to real life, where we’re mean because of our weirdness.
star Trek has worked extensively to improve inclusion, working on the philosophy of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations). Angel by Jesse James Keitel is another example of a non-binary representation of characters in this science fiction universe, a trend that continues to grow. The franchise introduced its first non-binary character, Adira (played by Blu del Barrio), in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.
Jesse James Keitel (who some may know from his portrayal as a cast member of ABC big sky) talked more about his character and the episode in general. He went on to explain how much her half human, half Vulcan state of hers resonated with her while working on the show:
It is so refreshing. This is what made me so excited about the role. The metaphor between being half human and half Vulcans and how this is and has always been a bad choice. There are so many other possibilities we have for us as people, whether you are queer or not. The possibilities are truly limitless.
Eventually, Spock was able to outsmart Angel and thwart his attempt to get Sybok out of his rehab cell. Soon after, Captain Pike and his crew managed to regain control of the Agencyforcing the villain to retreat to another ship.
The escape and main connection with Sybok bring Angel back Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at some time. I asked the actress when fans can expect to see her character again and got a cryptic response:
When you least expect it.
strange new worlds he only has a few episodes left in the first season, so it’s hard to tell if Angel will reappear before the second. We’ll just have to wait and see and take Jesse James Keitel’s cryptic answer as a glimmer of hope of what might happen. . definitely. And if they do, I hope Keitel and company. you can add new levels to the exciting character.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds release new episodes to Paramount + (opens in a new tab) Thursday. While it’s a shame Season 1 is ending, there’s still a lot more to come. New Emigrate Shows walking for the pleasure of the public.
Source: Cinemablend
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